The Kairos Market Day is a fortnightly event held during break time, where children from all the grades get the opportunity to make and sell their products. Each class takes turns running the market every second week, although everyone is invited to participate if they wish to join. The children use the Kairos school currency called “Rosses” to buy and sell goods within the market. This market was initiated by a child in 2013 and has continued to thrive ever since. The children work excitedly and eagerly, crafting items to sell at the market. They are encouraged to sell products or offer services that they can create themselves at no cost to their parents.

This approach fosters their creative thinking and enables children to generate an income without needing to spend money. At the start of each year, the children receive an initial amount to kickstart the year. However, after the initial amount children are not given any additional Rosses for the rest of the year, requiring them to sell their own products to earn more. This process teaches children of all ages, including the Grade R pupils, to manage their money as well as learn the value of money. The children begin to understand that if they spend all their money the only way to gain more is to offer either a service, such as massages, or to sell something they make. It encourages them to come up with innovative ideas to increase their income. The introduction of the school currency and Market Day has been an outstanding success at Kairos, as some of the students have even gone on to establish their own businesses from items that they initially sold at the market. For instance, one of the founding students began “Gabe’s Vegan Meringues” in 2016, initially selling them at the school Kaleidoscope market. He now sells them all over Johannesburg. Looking ahead, we would not be surprised to see more students creating their own small businesses based on the incredible items they make. Last year, three of our older pupils joined the Kaleidoscope market selling jewellery, crocheted bags, and a cartoon comic. By providing a platform for entrepreneurship and financial education, Kairos Market Day has become an integral and successful part of the school’s culture, empowering students to realise their potential as creative and business individuals.

~Teacher Sidrah